Mark finds inspiration

Very happy to publish Mark and Martial Angeli's annual newsletter as a small gesture to reduce le bilan carbon.

Septembre 2011

2011 : IPPON !

Voilà plus de vingt ans que je vous abreuve de courriers plus lapidaires les uns que les autres, fustigeant sans retenue nos décideurs, pantins du puvoir économique aux mains d'une nomenklatura de surdiplômés frigidifiants et de parvenus gavés, au-dessus des lois, méprisant le "peuple" et affamant sans vergogne le sud de la planète. Plusieurs d'entre vous me donnaient ponctuellement leurs sentiments sur ces écrits pour lesquels le qualificatif d'alarmiste intégriste revenait comme un leitmotiv.

Au vu des événements actuels qui résonnent comme un renouveau, ma seule crainte désormais est que vous trouviez cette prose trop opitmiste, tant il me paraît certain que le basculement si ardemment souhaité et que je ne pensais pas voir de mon vivant se produira à coup sûr d'ici cinq ans !

- Même si l'industrie nucléaire se montre toujours aussi arrogante, dominatrice et autocrate, elle a reçu un coup mortel avec Fukushima dont elle ne se relèvera pas. Ses multiples mensonges éclatent au grand jour si bien qu'elle se trouve maintenant incapable de justifier un seul des avantages présumés de son énergie diabolique. A nous de lui porter le coup de grace en 2012 en refusant de voter pour un candidat qui ne dirait pas explicitement sa détermination à sortir au plus vite du nucléaire. Les solutions de remplacement simples, peu onéreuses et sans danger sont disponibles.

- La bataille des OGM est en passe d'être gagnée : Monsanto dégringole en bourse. Nous étions 2% en viticulture bio en 2008, nous voilà désormais 5%. A ce rythme-là, le seuil sociologique de 12% au-delà duquel les réfractaires au changement renoncent par peur d'être à leur tour montrés du doigt sera vite atteint.

- Restent les perturbations climatiques et l'épuisement des énergies fossiles pour lesquelles chacun de nous peut agir concrètement, tout en économisant de l'argent (voiture à air comprimé MDI, électricité photovoltaïque, petites hydroliennes Hydrohelix à placer dans le fond des fleuves et rivières dans tout le pays : une énergie inépuisable, gratuite, peu coûteuse en investissements, totalement décentralisée si bien que les lignes THT peuvent etre démontées, produisant en permanence, plus encore en hiver où la demande est plus forte, invisible, sans risque de panne massive, sans déchet ni danger de prolifération ou d'attentats, sans production de CO2, rapidement installée sans infrastucture lourde et assurant à jamais notre indépendance énergétique. En bref tout le contraire du nucléaire !).

- Quant aux échéances politiques, elles m'apparaissent commme la plus totale mystification, tous les candidats en mesure d'etre élus étant placés là par et pour le seul intérêt égoïste des caciques de l'argent sur le dos du peuple qui s'échine et plus particulièrement de ses composantes les plus fragiles. Nous sommes coincés endormis entre la télé ahurissante de bêtise et de désinformation et le pseudo confort matériel basé sur le pétrole en déclin par lequel on nous soumet docilement et dont la publicité nous ressasse en permanence les mensonges odieux et lobotomisants.

Notre démocratie n'est plus u'une façade, n'ayons pas peur des changements à venir et soutenons-les pour l'avenir de nos enfants afin qu'ils n'aient plus à choisir entre les promesses de la gauche et les mensonges de la droite.

Il y a dix ans, j'avais réduit le prix des vins de 20%. Comme prévu dans le dernier courrier, nous rétablissons l'ancien tarif pour les clients des banques "sales", même si la différence ne nous revenant pas peut être considérée comme une taxe Tiers Monde au profit des paysans malgaches et si la meilleure solution pour tous reste que vous changiez de banque au plus vite. Pour information, les chèques que vous faites pour acheter du vin, à partir des banques "propres" sont à libeller directement à l'ordre de l'Association Babakoto. Ils consituent donc des dons et bénéficient dès lors de 66% de réduction d'impôt. Une aubaine !

Pour notre part, le prix de vente de nos produits correspond dans notre esprit à du commerce équitable et suffit amplement à notre vie dans la "sobriété heureuse" chère à Pierre Rabhi. Ainsi, nous n'augmenterons pas leurs prix pendant au moins cinq ans. Nous maintenons aussi le cap sur plusieurs points qui nous paraissent essentiels :

- Soutien direct aux villages Zafimaniry malgaches par plusieurs sources, dont une nouvelle à partir de 2012 : l'accompagnement en viticulture biodynamique en association avec mon ami Guy Bossard en Muscadet, pour lequel les "clients" donnent à l'association au lieu de rémunérer nos services : autonomisation alimentaire et en éclairage solaire, replantation d'arbres restent nos priorités. Vous pouvez toujours compléter cette aide en achetant des écharpes en soie sauvage quie ouvrent également droit à réduction d'impot. Chaque euro est utilisé, il n'y a toujours aucun frais de fonctionnement.

- Recherche de modèle énergétique reproductible par tous : nous aurons prochainement une voiture à air comprimé alimentée tout comme la ferme par notre propre production, basée sur une complémentarité entre plusieurs énergies renouvelables.

- Essais pour mimimiser (ou supprimer quand c'est possible sans risque de déviation aromatique) le SO2 dans les vins : le protocole établi pour le Rosé d'un Jour a été élargi à un blanc moelleux, le Demi doux des Blanderies (50 mg/l de SO2 total).

Nous vous rappelons à cette occasion que le rendement à l'hectare ainsi que la dose de SO2 total de chaque vin figure sur l'étiquette depuis 2003.


Vos paysans Mark et Martial

La Ferme de la Sansonnière

49380 Thouarcé

Tél/Fax: 02.41.54.08.08

martial.angeli@gmail.com

Vignerons conseillés : Ne manquez pas la triplette de la Guimardière, de jeunes vignerons époustouflants d’humilité, de courage et de sincérité. Tél. 02 41 66 65 43.

DVD vivement conseillés : Severn, la voix de nos enfants
Notre poison quotidien

Claude Papin auditions for the remake of Lawrence of Arabia (Chaume)

I'm not sure whether yesterday afternoon temperatures of over 31C broke any records but certainly a number of producers said that this is the hottest late September they remember. Here are some scenes from yesterday.

Typical mix of ripeness in a bunch of Chenin (Chaume)

Vincent Ogereau (Domaine Ogereau) with 2011 Rosé de Loire (Grolleau/Gamay)

Treading Cabernet in vat at Mark Angeli 

 Martial and Mark Angeli

Some producers cool down their vats - Mark cools his pickers

Mark Angeli finds inspiration...

 Mark Angeli@Greniers Saint-Jean 2011

Mark and Martial Angeli kindly sent me an invitation to the 2012 tasting at the Greniers Saint Jean. As in previous years it will be over the last weekend of January. Unlike previous years I sadly won't be there as the Salon des Vins de Loire will be a week later this coming year: 5th-7th February.

Pity they didn't change the date as I imagine there will be many people who normally attend this tasting because its timing links in with the Salon.  

Report here on the 2011 late January tasting at the Greniers St Jean.

2007 SuaVignon, Domaines des Maisons Brulées, Beatrice and Michel Augé

Renaissance

Excellent Sauvignon Blanc (VDT Français) from the biodynamic Domaine des Maisons Brulées in Pouillé with all the definition and precision you associate with 2007 with the the leaness and sharp acidity that some have.

 

Stéphane Bernardeau being interrogated by the Wine Detective

Fine Chenins again from Stephané and Richard at the Renaissance tasting.

Richard Leroy

Mark Angeli trying out his Tony Blair look – hasn't got the Blair wonky eye right yet

Another shot of Sébastien David modelling his ultra-chic range of decanters

Salon

Couple of fine Muscadets
Respecting a long tradition I started the Salon by tasting Pierre Luneau (Domaine Luneau-Papin, Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine) starting with the latest vintage – 2010, which is already showing well with a combination of weight of fruit plus minerality. A sso often the future Clos des Allées was a favourite.

Rather disappointingly the Luneaus' fridge was better regulated than usual so the wines were at the correct temperature for tasting, so no chance to enjoy their famous Muscadet glacé. 

   

Terre de Pierre, Muscadet-Sèvre-et-Maine, Domaine Luneau-Papin 

Not sure what vintage the above Terre de Pierre is – could be either the 2009 or the 2008 as I tasted both. Anyway this comes from the vineyard (Butte de la Roche) belonging to Pierre-Marie Luneau, which overlooks the Marais de Goulaine. The 2009 is richer with more concentration and some minerality in the finish. In contrast the 2008 is leaner, more precise but austere at present but it has good length and may well keep longer, although production was small due to the April frost so the number of bottles will be severely limited.

Label above must have been for the 2009...

Next stop after the Luneaus was Gadais Père et Fils (Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine) starting with their easy drinking 2010 Emotion, which is already in bottle. Of the five wines I tasted here the stand-out was the very fine 2009 Vieilles Vignes. Beautifully balanced it is delicious to drink now but will surely age well over the next five years or more. 

 

Martial Angeli and with father, Mark (below)

Mark considering that Sarkozy may force him to bring forward the launch date of the Martial Lore cuvée 

Some photos taken at this morning's session of the Renaissance tasting@Les Grenier de Saint-Jean, Angers.

'Adoration': Joseph and Wendy Paillé

Stéphane Bernadeau (Anjou) interrogated by The Wine Detective

 Mark Angeli

Les vendanges se sont très bien passées, c'était une année "piège" parce qu'il y a eut une semaine de pluie au milieu des vendanges et qu'il ne fallait pas se précipiter pour les cabernets et les grolleaux, donc on a pu faire les chenins avant la pluie. Au niveau des rendements, c'est une très bonne année pour nous puisqu'ils sont de 26-30 hl/h sur la plupart des parcelles (hormis les Vieilles Vignes qui produisent toujours beaucoup moins), ce qui est le rendement idéal pour nous, que nous ne voulons pas dépasser. 

 

Mark Angeli

(Delighted to have heard from Martial Angeli, so am posting Mark and Martial's October 2010 newsletter here. There is now email contact with the eastern quarter of Thouarcé.)

Octobre 2010

GAEC Mark et Martial ANGELI
49380 THOUARCE
Tél / Fax : 00.33.(0)2.41.54.08.08
martial.angeli@gmail.com

Ça y est ! De nombreux paysans partout en France et en Europe se convertissent cette année à l’agriculture biologique. Le prix exorbitant des poisons de moins en moins efficaces qu’ils utilisaient, la crainte (totalement injustifiée d’ailleurs !) que l’on réduise “comme prévu” leur utilisation, la médiatisation massive de leurs conséquences sur la santé, la mauvaise conscience larvée ainsi que l’ébahissement de se retrouver brusquement empoisonneur par procuration (voir mdrgf.org), la désespérance aussi de se sentir broyé par l’étau mafieux Crédit Agricole - multinationales phytosanitaires - supermarchés (800 suicides de paysans par an en France) conduisent de gros domaines à initier enfin la démarche, ce qui devrait logiquement conduire à un basculement d’ici dix ans. A nous tous de ne pas baisser la garde pour que les générations futures en bénéficient au plus vite.

Nourrissons-nous bio au maximum, ça ne coûte pas plus cher à moyen terme, car c’est le goût qui provoque la satiété et non la quantité ingérée.

Il était temps

- Une étude russe sur des hamsters nourris au soja OGM révèle que les fonctions reproductrices sont atteintes au point qu’ils ne peuvent plus du tout se reproduire dès la troisième génération. De plus, des poils leur poussent ... dans la bouche !

- Pour la seule année 2008, l’utilisation de pesticides sur les cultures OGM aux USA a augmenté de 26%.

En Inde, l’inefficacité du coton OGM est enfin reconnue par Monsanto. Pas d’indemnisation ou même
d’excuses pour les 10 000 paysans qui se sont suicidés à cause de cette chimère qui les a mis en faillite.

- Le Dr Belpomme, initiateur de l’appel de Paris que vous aviez signé il y a cinq ans, tire la sonnette d’alarme : le taux de nouveaux cas de cancers a doublé en 2009 (+ 10 %), mais plus insoutenable encore, les cancers infantiles progressent de 1 % ... par an ! Or, la totalité d’entre eux est imputable aux produits chimiques. Cuba, sous embargo de poisons depuis 50 ans, affiche un taux de cancer de la prostate dix fois inférieur à la Guadeloupe.

- Vous n’avez pas “avalé” la lutte raisonnée, on vous la ressort avec une nouvelle étiquette “Haute qualité environnementale”. La même foutaise ... en pire.

- Les pesticides devaient être réduits de 50 % ... si possible. Leur consommation en France a augmenté de 3 % en 2007 et 13 % en 2008.

- Pour ceux qui douteraient encore de la marionnettisation de nos hommes politiques, voici un extrait du Journal Officiel de notre République bananière du 11 octobre 1977 : “La conduite de notre économie a peu à peu échappé au pouvoir politique. Le développement - et les avatars - de nos grands projets industriels se sont accompagnés de la montée en puissance de ce que l’on peut appeler le “complexe technico-industriel”, alliance toujours plus étroite entre la technocratie d’Etat et la technocratie privée. ... Enfant de la croissance, le “complexe technico-industriel” en est venu à dominer l’Etat - monopolisant les informations - et disposant donc du pouvoir - cooptant ses membres, refusant de rendre des comptes et écrasant, au nom de sa compétence affirmée toute contestation.”

Choisissons notre camp, changeons de banque ... maintenant
“Pour que la marée monte, une vague doit aller plus loin”

Je réitère (au verso du tarif) l’exhortation à claquer la porte des trois affreux affameurs. Inutile de nous

plaindre de la crise, du chômage, du coût de la vie, des guerres dans le monde, de la pollution, si nous cautionnons les inconscients qui en sont directement responsables. Nous sommes complices par notre portefeuille, alors qu’il est si facile (et gratuit) de refuser cette folie humaine, en orientant notre argent vers des projets sains, concrets, tout en le mettant à l’abri des spasmes boursiers.

Pour vous “accompagner” dans cette démarche, j’augmenterai mon tarif particulier de 20 % dans un an! ... sauf pour ceux qui règleront avec un chèque des deux seules banques “propres”, la NEF ou le Crédit Coopératif. Les 20 % hélas récoltés ne serviront pas à acheter un 4 x 4 ou à gratifier un gigolo photographe, mais seront plus utilement reversés à l’association Babakoto, pour compléter la plantation de 200 palissandres à Madagascar, correspondants au double de l’impact carbone résiduel de ma ferme.

Vous avez toujours la possibilité de participer à l’aventure en achetant des écharpes en soie sauvage (avec crédit d’impôt de 66 %). Une écharpe = 5 palissandres.

Mes clients professionnels ont, pour leur part, déjà initié depuis deux ans, une démarche parallèle. Ils distinguent tous sur leurs tarifs ou leurs linéaires les vins normaux des vins poisons.

Le fiston

Mon fils Martial m’a rejoint à la ferme depuis un an, un événement aussi imprévu qu’enthousiasmant. Cela me donne l’occasion de faire un premier bilan de 22 ans de paysannerie.

Par orgueil imbécile, pour maintenir le niveau de puissance des vins, j’avais choisi de ramasser des raisins partiellement botrytisés entre 1998 et 2002 plutôt que de récolter des raisins verts (dans ces millésimes délicats, certaines de mes vignes d’alors avaient du mal à conduire leurs raisins à maturité assez tôt à cause d’un mauvais portegreffe). Ces vins présentent un caractère plus lourd et évoluent plus vite que les autres millésimes. Pour éviter cela, il aurait fallu mettre deux fois plus de soufre dans les vins, ce qui n’est guère dans mes convictions. Il s’agit plus particulièrement des vins suivants qui sont à déboucher en priorité sur des plats consistants où ils seront alors parfaitement à leur place :

- Fouchardes et Vignes Françaises 98, Lune 99, tous les 2000 et 2001, Lune, Fouchardes et Vignes Françaises en Foule 2002.

Par ailleurs, certaines bouteilles de cuvées expérimentales (Vieilles Vignes des Blanderies 2004, Rosé d’un jour 2008) me sont, de temps à autre, signalées en refermentation. Si cela vous advenait, merci de nous le signaler pour nous permettre à la fois d’avancer sur nos pratiques œnologiques (filtration ou non) et de procéder à l’échange des bouteilles défectueuses.

Vos paysans Mark et Martial

DVD vivement conseillés :
Déchets, le cauchemar du nucléaire
Solutions locales pour un désordre global
P.S. - Après onze ans de gestation, la voiture à air comprimé semble enfin sur le point de sortir (mdi.lu).

.

The stellar Mark Angeli

Mark and Martial Angeli

I'm always delighted to receive newsletters from Mark Angeli and especially delighted to receive the October edition entitled – 2010, le virage – as son Martial has now joined Mark. Consequently the domaine now has an email address and the newsletter exhibits signs that the internet has been consulted*. I'm hopeful that in time Martial will be able to persuade Mark to start a blog or set up an internet site so that his thoughts and ideas can be spread more widely.

No date, I understand, has yet been given for the release of the new cuvée provisionally called Martial Lore.

Email: martial.angeli@gmail.com

So far no email address for Mark so you will have to continue to send him snail mail, pigeons or smoke signals:

La Ferme de la Sansonnière

49380 Thouarcé

Tel/fax: 02.41.54.08.08

* I have sent an email to Martial, so the true test will be if I get a response.

**

Autrefois renaissance des appellations: Saturday 29nd and Sunday 30th January 2011

The tasting – vers une pleine expression des terroirs par les cultures bioloiques et biodynamiques – that used to be called 'renaissance des appellations' will be held as usual at the Greniers Saint Jean, Angers on 29th and 30th January 2011. I assume that renaissance des appellations has been dropped as many of the members of this group use or intend to use the new Vin de France designation.

As well as producers from the Loire there will be representatives from many parts of France including Corsica plus Spain and Italy. Hours are from 10am to 8pm each day.


There will be a Nicolas Joly conference starting at 2pm on the Sunday.

**

With the Third Wine Blaggers' Conference being held in Vienna on Friday and Saturday I have written a piece on blogging for Les 5 du Vin.

**

2009 Sancerre, Michel Girard
On my way to the Crown Court in St Albans this morning to hear more of the wine investment fraud case involving the Bordeaux Wine Trading Company, International Wine Commodities and Templar Vintners I passed Grapeland. Although I didn't have time to drop in I did not that they have the 2009 Sancerre Blanc from Michel Girard. This was one of my stand out wines in the tasting I did at the Bureau du Centre in early June. Am checking the price but I think it was £12.99.

109 Victoria Street, St Albans.

Shop phone: 01727-898290.

Other contact details:

http://www.grapeland.uk.com/

Tel: 01923-284436 or info@grapeland.uk.com

Vines in AC Bonnezeaux with Le Moulin de Bonnezaux in the distance

Following the first posting on the weekend BA sent me a new message suggesting that she and her boyfriend might stay at Le Clos des 3 Rois in Thouarcé, the main town of the Bonnezeaux appellation.
 
'Very generous of you and the advice is great, I will follow it closely. staying in Angers sounds like a good plan - although, after reading your post, I had the idea of staying somewhere else that seems to be a short drive to everywhere, but in a village/country (which i like the sound of) - the clos des 3 rois in Thouarcé.'

Le Clos des 3 Rois would be a good choice: nicely renovated building with well appointed chambres d'hôtes in the centre of Thouarcé. The owners offer table d'hôte on several nights of the week. Otherwise there is Le Relais de Bonnezeaux a short distance away towards the village of Bonnezeaux or the traditional Auberge du Cheval Blanc, 3 pl Prieuré 49380 Thouarce (02.41.54.04.40). I haven't eaten at the Relais for a number of years but used to be quite good.

Thouarcé is a good base from which to explore the Layon, l'Aubance and is a relatively short drive to Saumur. In Thouarcé you could go and visit Mark Angeli of La Ferme de la Sansonnière just out of the town on the road to Martigny-Briand. There is also Château de Fesles to visit. Fesles is the most famous domaine of Bonnezeaux. Now owned by Grands Chais de France but the previous owner, Bernard Germain, is still there.

 

Mark Angeli: one of the movers behind the Renaissance tasting

This annual tasting in Angers just before the Salon des Vins de Loire used to be called Renaissance des Appellations. Now 'des appellations' has been dropped and it has become Renaissance des Terroirs (RDT). An increasing number of the participants have decided that France's appellations are beyond saving and now prefer to sell their wines as vin de table, especially as the new regulations are less restrictive over what can go on the label – vintage, where it was made, etc. They also avoid some of the bureaucracy that now surrounds the ACs. All of the participants at the Renaissance tasting are either organic or biodynamic, although not all are members of RDT. Producers are limited to showing five wines.

Building just by the Greniers de Saint-Jean

This year we went to the Renaissance on the Sunday morning. With La Dive Bouteille tasting on at the cellars of Château de Bréze at the same time the Renaissance was less packed than usual, so much better for tasting. Incidentally I gather that the Brézé cellars were freezing.

Joseph Landron

I started with the Muscadets of Guy Bossard and Joseph Landron. Of the two, Joseph Landron's 2009s were showing much better at this stage than Guy's which lacked zip. I enjoyed Joseph's very recently bottled 2009 Amphibolite Nature with its zippy, lemony fruit and just a touch of richness – bring on the oysters! The 2009 Hermine d'Or, from vines planted on sandstone, looks particularly promising. It will be bottled in May and currently is quite rich and full with white flower characters. Returning to Guy Bossard I thought the 2009 Othogneiss was the best of the four he was showing.

Of course any comments on the 2009s are very provisional, especially on wines that haven't yet been bottled. I always see tasting notes as a snapshot in time. Notes on unfinished wines are particularly fleeting and transitory.

Next to the wines of Mark Angeli (La Ferme de la Sansonnière in Thouarcé). Understandably, once the Renaissance tasting starts to fill up, it is often virtually impossible to get anywhere near to the table of the sage of Thouarcé, so we took the opportunity to taste Mark's wines early on. I have long been a fan of these wines, although there was a time when Mark wasn't using any sulphur and opening a bottle could be a bit of a lottery. I think Mark's wines are now better than ever as the three 2008 whites I tasted showed. All had a greater precision and minerality than previously starting with Claire de Lune. Of the three, Les Fouchardes was my favourite showing a lovely combination of concentration and delicacy plus length and power. We finished with the Vieilles Vignes des Blanderies – bigger than the other two and needing more time but a lot of potential. For a more detailed account of Mark's wines see Chris Kissack's report.

Previous posts on 2010 Renaissance tasting here and here.

(Further posts on the Renaissance tasting will follow.)

Mark Angeli: le vedette de Thouarcé devant les étoiles

 

Nadège Lelandais

 

Aymeric Hlaire: very promising new producer from Le Puy Notre-Dame 

 

 Sylvain Martinez and his Goutte d'O

Another two promising young vignerons: Catherine Roussel (Clos Roche Blanche) and Mark Angeli (La Ferme de la Sansonnière)

Joseph Landron (Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine)

Eddy and Mileine Oosterlinck-Bracke, Domaine de Juchepie: Eddy pouring 2002 Le Quinressence

A new direction for Jo Pithon – Languedoc?

Notes on the tasting to follow.

Scene at the 2009 tasting

The annual tasting of organic and biodynamic wines on the eve of the Salon des Vins de Loire will once again be held at the Greniers Saint-Jean in Angers. This year it will run on Saturday afternoon from 3pm to 7pm and all day Sunday from 10am to 7pm. Nicolas Joly will be giving a conference at 2pm on the Sunday. Last year the tasting was limited to Sunday as the Greniers had already been booked for a wedding. This year Mark Angeli, the organiser, must have got in quickly to ensure the tasting could run over two days.

The tasting has previously been called Renaissance des appellations but the title has been dropped. This may well reflect the move by a number of producers, including Mark Angeli, to opt out of the appellation contrôlée system and instead sell their wines as vins de table as new rules now allow them to include the year and place of production on the label.

Naturally there will be a big presence from the Loire but also producers from all over France plus a few from Spain and Italy. The tasting is always an interesting and perhaps bizarre mix of some of the best wines from the Loire and some of the worst – an opportunity to taste the full quality gamut of 'natural wines'. Quite often the worst wines are the same price as the best and sometimes more expensive probably because some Parisians think it fashionable to pay high prices for faulty wines. Click here for an earlier report on one such wine.

The tasting is open only to those who work in the wine trade.

•••

Plus:

Domaine Champalou (Vouvray) nouvelle adresse mail: champalou@orange .fr

During my daily early morning surf or site-seeing, two items caught my attention. Firstly a good report by Charles Metcalfe in the Telegraph on the rapid decline in sales of French wine in the UK.

A typical cut-price offer on Australian wine in a UK supermarket

'Zut alors! French wine sales go down the drain

New figures show Britons now buy more wine from Australia and California than France. Charles Metcalfe explains why.

The holidays are just about here, and the children are anchored to Facebook or reruns of inappropriate American cartoons. There must be somewhere better, sunnier, healthier, where shorts and flip-flops oust suits and shoes, restaurants cost less and wine runs freely.

Depending on priorities, the average Briton makes for Spain or France. Spain for sun, and France for quality of life (translation: brilliant food-markets, €20 three-course restaurant menus, and inexpensive, crazily drinkable wines). We love France (if not the French).

So why have we stopped buying their wines? French wine sales have dropped 6.5 per cent in the last year, says the new edition of trade magazine Off-Licence News.'

Read the rest here.

See also report on agrisalon on significant falls in the sales of vins de pays and vins de table.

•

Then, secondly, this item in vitisphere.com about the new wine category that will be without IG (indication geographique – no mention of where they come from). In plain language the old vin de table category with new rules – principally that you can put the vintage and the grape variety on the label – previously this was not allowed.

'Vins sans IG avec indication de cépages et de millésime : un peu plus de clarté.
Le conseil spécialisé vins de France Agri Mer a voté jeudi 16 juillet à l’unanimité le nouveau cahier des charges des vins sans indication géographique avec mention de cépage et de millésime, nouvelle catégorie qui entre en vigueur le 1er août de cette année, donc pour la récolte 2009.

Le conseil spécialisé a choisi de donner à cette catégorie le moins de contraintes possibles, pour minimiser les coûts des entreprises et leur donner de ce fait des atouts sur les marchés d’exportation. Il n’y a donc pas de rendement maximal prévu, mais quelques contraintes ont été fixées par rapport aux vins sans IG simples. Les metteurs en marché seront identifiés par France Agri Mer sur simple demande, et le respect du cahier des charges sera vérifié de façon documentaire, au vu des analyses visant à prouver que la présence des cépages et des millésimes allégués est bien réelle dans les bouteilles. Il n’y aura cependant pas de contrôle de la qualité des produits et pas d’examen organoleptique.'

So no limits on the amount you can produce and no tasting control, although given some of the rubbish that gets through the appellation contrôlée agrément tastings ................. All the producers have to prove is that the bottles contain the grape varieties and the vintage claimed on the label. This all seems clear enough – just as well as the new EU wide category comes into force on the 1st August.

But, hang on, this is the French wine industry and things are never as straightforward:

'Si ce cadre permet dès 2009 de produire ces vins, certaines zones d’ombre persistent encore. D’une part, l’Alsace, la Savoie et le Jura ont demandé à ce que les noms de leurs cépages locaux ne puissent être présents sur les étiquettes de vins sans IG. La décision sera prise par le ministère de l’Agriculture au vu des conclusions demandées à Jérôme Despey, président du conseil spécialisé vins de France Agri Mer. D’autre part, le nom de cette nouvelle catégorie de vin n’est pas encore déterminé, l’expression « vin de France » prévue par les réglements européens étant contestée par les producteurs de vins avec IG, qui ne veulent pas que cette formule, utilisée d’autre part pour la communication générale des vins français, ne soit accaparée par une catégorie. Pour l’heure, la question n’étant pas réglée, on peut commencer à faire des vins sans IG avec noms de cépages et de millésimes en utilisant la mention « vin de France ».'

Full article here.

Certain French regions – notably Alsace, Jura and Savoie object to these new wines being able to put the names of their local varieties on the label. Although I can see that the name Riesling, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris even Gewurztraminer on a label may well help to sell the wine, I struggle to think that Mondeuse – a red variety from Savoy – or Savagnin – a white from the Jura – is going to help to shift any additional bottles. In any case what producer of high volume sans IG (there doesn't appear to be a convenient abbreviation here, so I'll go for SIG from now on) is going to use either Mondeuse or Savagnin?

The second objection to the use of the name vin de France by IG producers (ie what used to be called vins de pays) – could well prove to be more troublesome. These are the producers who have already had the designation 'vignoble de France or vin de pays de France' annulled in the French courts and sunk the earlier attempt – cèpages de France – to allow multi-regional blending.

What the legal objection to vin de France is I can't imagine, assuming that the SIG wine comes from France, but that probably won't stop a recourse to the law. You see echoes here of the hysteria that surrounded the perfectly sensible proposal to allow the blending of red and white wine to make rosé. It would be good to see the French Ministry of Agriculture throw both of these objections out but given the abject surrender by the Europe Commission to the pressure from rosé producers I fear they will crumble too.

I'm not surprised that French wines have suffered recently in the UK – the sudden drop is the sterling-euro rate certainly hasn't helped. Many price lists are sent out at the beginning of the year and were set when sterling was at its weakest. Several UK importers told me during this year's Salon de Vins de Loire that French producers were about to lose a substantial part of the UK market.

This may, of course, not be entirely bad news as Jérôme Chobet of Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu has discovered: his sales in the Chinese market are growing fast and they treat Muscadet as a grand vin. How solid a market China turns out to be remains to be seen. Cognac has found Asia-Pacific, especially Japan, to be a notorious fickle market but wine is not the same as spirits...........

••

One interesting aspect of the new SIG category is that it appeals to small, producers of individual wines like Mark Angeli in Anjou, Pascal Potaire in Touraine and others, who despair of the AC system refusal to say anything about looking after vineyards in a sustainable manner. A system that is full of rules about what grape varieties you can plant, etc. based on apparent typicity, but which permits the widespread use of an armoury of chemicals, which may or may not be fatal for the long-term life of the soils.

Although a number of wine makers have previously chosen to sell their wines as vin de table, this has supposedly prevented them from putting details like the vintage and where it comes from on the label. There are, of course, ways around this by calling a wine Cuvée for instance. Doubtless they will find ways around restrictions on saying where the wine was produced.

Have just discovered The Wine Digger blog that has been up since March and is run by Guilhaume of San Francisco. The Loire features quite frequently and recent postings included videos of Mark Angeli and Thierry Puzelat.

This remarkably deep coloured wine is Mark Angeli's 1998 Les Vieilles Vignes des Blanderies, Anjou Blanc. The colour suggests that it is completely oxidised and probably undrinkable. Fortunately this is certainly not the case, although tasted blind I fancy I would guess a Palo Cortado or an Oloroso from Jerez rather than an 10 year old Anjou Blanc – certainly from the nose. This Anjou Blanc comes from Mark's no sulphur period. Wisely he now adds a little sulphur at the time of bottling. Whatever the 1998 is a fascinating and complex wine that will probably continue to age well, while getting darker and darker. Ending up the colour of a PX?

This wine, Alice Fiering's The Battle for Wine and Love, Sylvie Augereau's carnet de vigne Omnivore 1er Cuvée les 200 vins 100% raisin, which is a guide to 'natural wine' in France, and the forthcoming 2009 Renaissance des Appellations tasting in Angers all put the spotlight on 'natural wines'.

People, who know about Mark's often wonderful wines, will proably have no problem with this 1998 Les Vieilles Vignes des Blanderies. But what of someone who unsuspectingly orders this from a restaurant wine list? The chances must be that they will reject the wine as being out of condition.

How would the wine have tasted and developed with a small dose of sulphur at the time of bottling. Would it have had that almost painful austerity of a long aged dry Oloroso? It surely would have had a more golden colour and different aromas.

Which brings me to the Renaissance des Appellations tasting in Angers. I expect that the 2009 edition (1st February) will again provide some of the most fascinating but equally some of the worst wine that I will taste during 2009.

It seems to me that the current fashion or accent on 'natural' wines leads to a tendency to accept anything from a 'naturally made' wine. A little oxidation can give a wine additional interest but too much will make it undrinkable. Shouldn't the first criteria when assessing be – is this wine drinkable – is it enjoyable or will it be enjoyable in future with a bit more age? Not is this wine 'natural'. Instead too often the apostles and disciples of 'natural wine' applaud that it is 'natural' first and last.

I have no doubt that once again at the Renaissance tasting there will be wonderful wines from Loire producers like Richard Leroy (Anjou Blanc), Thierry Michon (Fiefs Vendeens), Eric Nicolas (Jasnières) and others. Equally there will be some horrors – unclean, impossibly oxidised wines where the producer, blinded the non-intervention, non-sulphur religion will have sacrified their fine grapes on the altar of neo-othodoxy and instead of making something delicious will proudly display crap wines that undermine the serious purpose of the Renaissance des Appellations.

Today everyone claims that wine is made in the vineyard. You can't make good wine without good grapes. Too true but not the end of the story as you can certainly stuff up your grapes royally in the winery as some Renaissance producers demosntrate too well and that was also apparent in the large tasting of reds from the Central Vineyards I did on the 19th December.

Didier Barrouillet

The fine wines of the Clos Roche Blanche will also be available at the Renaissance tasting – but not at the Salon des Vins de Loire this year. When we visited them on Tuesday Didier explained the various techniques including a lengthy cold stablisation he had used to lower the naturally high acidities of the 2008s. At the end of the tasting, once Didier had left to finish the row of vines he was pruning, Catherine spoke with admiration of the measures and care Didier had taken over the vinification of the 2008s – an on-going care as many of the ferments are not yet finished. Non-interventionalist winemaking? Probably not but surely an example of a fine and thoughtful winemaker using whatever techniques he can to modify what 2008 has thrown at him as naturally as he can.

Having made fish cakes with what remained with the salmon trout, we had this as a quick brunch before our celebratory meal starting in the late afternoon. Although quite rich – tendre/demi-sec – François Chidaine’s Les Tuffeaux 2004 provided a good match, especially as there was sufficient acidity to carry off the touch of sweetness.

For the aperitif I had intended to have Domaine Huet’s 1999 Pétillant but on discovering that there was only one bottle left, we had Jacky Blot’s Triple Zero instead, which naturally was no hardship.



The salad of foie gras de canard as the first course presented some problems. Initially I considered a sweet wine – something from the Layon or l’Aubance. However, I rejected this option as the foie gras was part of a salad and not being served alone. Chidaine’s Les Tuffeaux would, I suspect been ideal but we’d already opened that, so I selected Mark Angeli’s 1998 Vieilles Vignes des Blanderies. However on opening it, delicious as it was and would prove to be a couple of days later as an aperitif, I wasn’t convinced that its oxidative style would be the best match with the foie gras salad, so instead opted for a bottle of 1998 Les Cormiers Château de Villeneuve that had both the weight and vivacity to be complemented by the salad. 1998 was the least good Loire vintage, especially for reds, of the second half of the 1990s. However, both Mark Angeli's and Jean-Pierre Chevallier's 1998s showed well and both could be kept for a severalo years more.

1998 Les Cormiers Saumur Blanc Château de Villeneuve

Traditional turkey and ham partnered by two red Burgundies – not Loire I know but they do use the same grape variety as Sancerre. First up a 1986 Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru from Léonce de Valleroy – some charm but now needing to be drunk. Then a 1996 Nuits St-Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots from Maurice Chevallier, showing more concentration and which could be kept a while longer.



We finished with a 1960 Vintage Port from Croft, which on Christmas Day was quite spirity but when finished off on 27th had mellowed with the spirit properly integrated. Interesting that, despite the diversity of Loire wines, there has never been a tradition of fortifying them. Fortified wines I guess tend to come from hotter climes, producing more potential alcohol and therefore better adapted to stopping the fermentation, as in Port and Vins Doux Naturels.

Looking across the Maine to Angers' Cathredal

14th October 2008

Today I received my invitation to the 2009 Renaissance des AOC tasting to be held on 1st February 2009 at the Greniers Saint-Jean in Angers. This is the first rendez-vous of the annual Salon des Vins de Loire. The Salon, itself, runs from the 2nd-4th February – not here in the centre of Angers but on the northern outskirts at the Parc des Expositions.

Church near Les Greniers Saint Jean

I understand from an impeccable source that it was intended that the 2009 Renaissance tasting would be a two-day affair – Saturday 31st January and Sunday 1st February. Unfortunately the person deputed to book the Grenier Saint-Jean delayed too long, so that by the time they attempted to book the Grenier was already hired for a wedding. So one day this year. I won’t attempt to embarrass the organiser partly because he is one of the Layon’s most amusing producers as well as making fine dry Anjou Blanc and sweet wines too. Not to mention the best Rosé d’Anjou around – although it has to be said there isn’t much competition for this accolade. I won’t attempt to embarrass him because it is most unlikely to read this as he abhors the internet – regarding it as a toxic assemblage of the work of Beelzebub, Anglo-American imperialism and global capitalism. A mistaken view in my opinion but there you go!

The Renaissance tasting is very much a mixed bag. Amongst its members are some very fine producers but equally there are those who make appalling wines that undermine the credibility of this organisation. I suspect one of the main reasons is the almost messianic belief that any use of sulphur is evil. That producers, like the late Didier Dagueneau and the distinguished Mark Angeli, have felt it necessary to move away from a complete rejection to a very limited use of sulphur indicates that it is sensible to protect the integrity of your wine with a minimal dose. In September 2007 Didier referred wryly to his no sulphur days as “his peace and love era".

Here is a piece I wrote last February, which first appeared on the RSJ Restaurant website:

Sunday 3rd February 2008: Renaissance des AOC, Angers
On a good, crisp but rather chilly morning Tom and I walked from the Hotel du Mail across the Maine to the Greniers St Jean for the Renaissance tasting. The Greniers St Jean is over the other side of the River Maine that flows through Angers before joining the Loire.

The aim of the group ‘Renaissance des AOC’ is to return to wines that reflect their terroir or sense of place by working organically and eschewing chaptalisation, cultured yeasts, fining etc. The aim is to try to make wine naturally as possible. Nicolas Joly of La Coulée de Serrant is one of the leading people in the group. The tasting is split into those who are fully paid up and those who follow the criteria but who are not part of the group.

Old street near Les Grenier Saint-Jean

Although there were also producers from other parts of France, Tom and Jim concentrated on those from the Loire. As at last year’s edition quality here was extremely variable. We tasted some extremely good wines from producers like Richard Leroy of Rablay-sur-Layon, who makes wonderful dry white Anjou, and Eric Nicolas of Domaine du Bellivière in Jasnières and Coteaux-du-Loir. Eric has long been an RSJ favourite and his wines are on our list. Other good producers included Thierry Michon, also on the list as well as Françoise and François Plouzeau (Domaine de la Garrelière, AC Touraine) near Richelieu, our old favourite Mark Angeli (Anjou and Bonnezeaux) and Catherine and Philippe Delesvaux (Anjou).

Equally there are some real horrors. Completely oxidised wines are a speciality of some of these producers. Unfortunately they see it as a badge of honour that they should not use sulphur dioxide at all not even in the smallest dose to provide some protection for their wines against spoilage. Many of these wines are sold as vin de table because often they cannot get approval to use the relevant appellation because their wines are faulty and are rejected by the authorities. Often this rejection appears to confirm to these growers that they are right and that having to sell your wine as vin de table is seen as a badge of honour.

I tasted Jean-Christophe Garnier’s wines. He comes from St Lambert and I’m sure he works very seriously in his vineyards – low yields, careful selection of fruit etc, so that when his grapes arrive in the winery they are in good condition. Sadly it is probably here that it all goes wrong. Working without sulphur is possible but the winemaker has to be absolutely meticulous about topping up barrels very regularly to make sure that they are full, so that there is no air to oxidise the wines. Generally you have take great care that everything is as clean as possible. Whatever Garnier does in his winery, he ends up with undrinkable oxidised wines.

Old street near Les Grenier Saint-Jean

That evening Tom and Jim were joined by Sarah Ahmed, a wine journalist, for dinner at Le Petit Comptoir (02.41.88.81.57), a small but very good restaurant in near our hotel. Sarah runs the wine detective website (www.thewinedetective.co.uk) and is one of regional judges on the Loire for the Decanter World Wine Awards. Dinner with a fixed price four course menu – entrée, fish, meat and dessert at €41 was very good. We started with an enjoyable bottle of Domaine Richou’s Anjou Blanc Chauvigné 2005. This was followed by another of Richard Leroy’s whites – Le Clos des Rouliers 2006 Anjou Blanc, which was quite rich with a little bit of wood on the nose. Rouliers is the cheaper of Richard’s two cuvées but it confirmed the good impression that we already had of his wines. For the red we moved further east to Saumur-Champigny with Patrick Vadé’s Cuvée Lea 2001, which was also showing very well. 2001 tends to be rather overshadowed by 2003 and 2006 but there were some good wines made in this vintage, which are drinking well now. Le Petit Comptoir is highly recommended but it is tiny, so booking is essential.